


The First Time Doctors Came To the Isle

by i_amthecosmos



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Ben tries his best, Bullying, Child Abuse, Gen, Medical Procedures, Pre-Slash, Tooth Pulling, pre-jaylos, the Isle was the worst, they can always make each other smile
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-12 19:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19235209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_amthecosmos/pseuds/i_amthecosmos
Summary: Carlos was twelve the first time the clinics started coming.





	The First Time Doctors Came To the Isle

**Author's Note:**

> I was trying to write this for the hc_bingo square for 'toothache'. Then it became more like 'archaic medical practices', and ended at 'wow, do marginalized people get worse health care or what'. So this is what I've done with my last 24 hours. (I gotta start getting a beta.)

Carlos was twelve the first time the clinics started coming. 

Apparently, there had been some sort of humanitarian decree on Auradon to give medical care to the children of the Isle. So two days after the announcement on TV, a ship came, and three tents were erected on them. There were also a lot of royal guards, there to keep people from raiding the clinic for drugs and first aid supplies. 

Carlos got into line with the other children. There were a lot of adults on the docks, mostly protesting the medical care. Some were yelling that it was a trap, others that it was propaganda for Auradon to turn the children against them. Some of them just wanted the care for themselves. The guards held them back.

The line went around the dock, and the guards were there to make sure they didn’t rush or push or cut in line. Carlos felt himself go invisible, because it was his bad luck that Mal and Jay were behind him. They were stepping on his heels, poking him in the side, and generally trying to make him get out of their way. He didn’t react.

When he got up close enough to see, he could see children going to the medical clinic first. They would be weighed at the door of the tent, then go in. He heard some crying and begging from the younger children, and got from their cries that they were getting shots. Then they would leave, and they were given bags. Most of the children looked happy to get them.

Then they went to see the dentist. 

There were actually two dentists, and the opening to the tents were big enough that he could see clearly. One of them checked the children over and then they did cleanings. And the other, well, he pulled teeth.

He pulled a _lot_ of teeth, since nobody had ever seen a dentist before. That was the tent where the real screams started. Carlos had to stand there and wait. At least, Jay and Mal had stopped trying to push ahead. In fact, Jay tried to slip away, but the guards put him back. 

When it was his turn, the doctor barely looked at him. “Hello. Get up on the scale please. What’s your name?”

“Carlos.” He mumbled it so low the doctor probably didn’t hear. “Carlos De Vil.” 

The doctor looked at his weight, then measured him. “Humph. You’re very underweight for your size. How old are you?” Carlos went to answer but the doctor was already getting a stethoscope. “Breathe deep.” Carlos just did as he was told from that point, and didn’t try to make conversation.

He got tested for lice, which he luckily didn’t have. There were more tests and things he didn’t really understand, like testing his reflexes. He was given five shots, without being told what they were for. Then he was given his bag. It had some nutrition bars, medicine for internal parasites, painkillers, and a small first aid kit. He grabbed one of the bars and had finished it before he walked the few feet to the dentist tent. 

He hadn’t been scared before then, but now he was starting to regret this. But the guards were there, and maybe it would be best to get this over with. “Hi,” he said to the first dentist.

“Hello young man,” the dentist said. “We’re going to clean your teeth, but first, do you have any tooth pain to tell us about?” 

Carlos opened his mouth and tried to point. “Back there. Last one on the right.” It had been aching for weeks, and was getting worse. He’d read about cavities causing all kinds of problems in the body, including heart problems. So he wanted it looked at.

‘Yes, that’s a very common one to go bad. Okay, we’ll try to be careful on that side. Does it hurt a lot?”

Carlos wasn’t sure how to answer. “It hurts some,” he said. It didn’t hurt as much as his mother hitting him with whatever she could grab, but it hurt more than the bruises he got from being shoved against the furniture. 

The dentist didn’t inquire further, and he was just instructed to lie back in a special chair. The dental assistant seemed nervous, but she settled down when she realized Carlos wasn’t going to attack her. She cleaned his teeth, and didn’t fuss at him when he hacked up some of the nasty-tasting paste she rubbed into his teeth with a rotating brush. 

“Hey, how does this stuff work?” Carlos asked, pointing to the equipment The dentist seemed to be excited by that, and rattled off some basic knowledge. But he was done and there were others behind him. So he had to leave see the second dentist. He got another bag here, this one with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. 

Carlos went in, and saw an older man who looked like his best days were far behind him. He also seemed exhausted, and maybe a little drunk. He looked at Carlos and said “Sit down.” Not even attempting to make small talk. Carlos kind of appreciated it. This guy was more like the adults on the Isle. At least he knew what to expect. 

“That’s good,” he said. “Your right molar, correct?” 

“The last tooth on the right?” 

“Yes, same thing. But that’s the one?”

“Yeah.” 

“All right. I’m going to explain this so you might not get as scared as some of your Isle mates.” Carlos nodded. “First, I’m going to numb the area around the tooth.” He pulled out a very large syringe, and Carlos swallowed. “I have to inject your gums about three or four times for this to work. It’s going to hurt a little, but it won’t last long. Then when it’s numb, I’ll take the tooth out. It might come out in pieces, but I’ll be as quick as I can. Your mouth will be swollen and numb for a while. But if you get through this, you’ll get a treat afterward. Do you understand?”

Carlos nodded. “Yes. I’m glad you told me.” That syringe was terrifying, but at least he knew exactly what it was for. He got comfortable and opened his mouth.

“You’re a smart young man,” the doctor said, then he got the syringe ready, squirting out some of the liquid inside. Then he bent down and Carlos gripped the arms of the chair. 

The doctor was right: it hurt. And it hurt in a way he’d never experienced before, even though he’d felt much worse. Then he felt a strange numbness in his mouth. “Is it working?” The doctor peered at him with red eyes. Carlos nodded. “All right. Again, I’ll make this quick.” 

Carlos was too numb to feel the pain of getting his tooth pulled, but he felt the pulling, and he felt and saw his tooth come out, with nerves attached. It made his stomach flip a little, but he was glad it was gone. He could actually see the hole in it. Then the dentist packed the wound in his mouth with gauze. 

“You’re going to have to eat a soft diet for a few days,” he said. “I understand food isn’t plentiful here, so you’ll leave with some cans of soup and gelatin powder. Do you have clean water on the Isle?”

“Uh, mostly,” he said. It was hard to talk with half his mouth numb and full of gauze. Wow, they were just giving away food. This was the best day ever, despite the pain. 

“Well, boil it for ten minutes if you’re not sure.” Carlos already knew that, but he was happy that the dentist was at least listening to him. “All right, I have to get to the next one. Thank you for not cussing me out or trying to bite me.” 

“Thank you.” He figured he would be polite back, since the dentist was from Auradon and would expect it. Also, the guy wasn’t that bad. Carlos left the tent, and was given an ice pack and told to sit on the side of the barge. There were a lot of grumpy kids sitting there, with ice packs, and sipping something out of a straw. He sat down and was giving a large paper cup. “Um, what is this?”

The girl, not much older than him really, looked at him and huffed in annoyance. “You’re the tenth person who’s asked. It’s a milkshake. It’s ice cream, milk and chocolate syrup. Try it, it’s good. But don’t let it touch the side where you had the tooth extracted, the cold will hurt.”

“Okay.” Carlos took a sip, and wow. Yes, this made up for everything. Then he saw two other Isle kids coming and immediately secured his bags inside his shirt. 

Jay and Mal were wearing twin expressions of anger and had ice packs against their cheeks. They sat down next to him and immediately got milkshakes. “What’s this shit?” Mal said, and looked like she was about to throw it.

“It’s called a milkshake,” Carlos said. “Don’t throw it, drink it.” 

“It’s probably poisoned. I bet those shots were poison.” But she took a wary sip, and then her eyes opened wide. “It’s...not bad.” She took another longer sip.

Jay did her one better and took the lid off his cup and gulped the whole thing down. “Ow, shit, bad idea,” he said, holding the ice pack to his mouth. Mal cracked up, cackling at his pain. 

Carlos chuckled too, which got him a look from Mal. Whoops. He forgot his place. But she seemed to let it go, and went back to drinking her milkshake. “Wonder why they decided to do this now.”

Carlos didn’t think she was talking to him, but he answered anyway. “Don’t care. I’m glad that tooth’s gone. It was driving me nuts.” 

“They took two of mine,” Jay said. “One on each side even.” Carlos made a face. “Yeah. Everything hurts.”

“Don’t be a baby. You’ll get over it.” Mal sounded dismissive, but Carlos noticed she wasn’t letting her ice pack go. “And we got a lot of free stuff. If we can hold on to it.” Jay peered over at Carlos then, and probably noted where Carlos had his bags hidden. Carlos said nothing. 

They lapsed into silence then, drinking their milkshakes. (Jay asked for another and was denied.) Carlos knew they’d be back to bullying him at school, but he didn’t mind their company then.

Carlos got home without getting robbed. When he got there, he put the TV on as he cleaned. The Auradon news reported that the medical ship had been attacked by pirates on its way to the Isle, but that the guards had fended them off. Carlos snorted- the pirates were losing their touch.

They then had a discussion about the medical ship, and if it would be better not to announce its arrival next time. Of course, some people argued that it should never visit again. 

When Cruela came back from her own visit, she was snarly. She had gone up and demanded care, and was turned away. “I can’t believe you got to see a doctor, and not me, you insolent brat.” Carlos saw the slap coming and ducked it. Then he ran for it. When he peeked out of his closet, he saw Cruela going through his precious bags of food and supplies.

Carlos had hidden the nutrition bars, at least. He ate two more of them in his as he laid down for bed. It hurt his mouth, but there wasn’t much he could do. 

The next day at the market, there were many, many stolen first aid kits and cans of soup for sale. Carlos knew that would happen, but it made him a bit sad all the same. 

The doctor ship came a couple more times, then there was a lapse. Carlos was lucky and didn’t lose another tooth. By then, he had joined Mal’s gang and had changed, at least on the outside. Then they were chosen to go to Auradon.

Everyone there was nice and clean, with perfect sparkling teeth and gracious manners and no heart. Carlos decided they weren’t worth hating, but he still noticed how they treated him and his friends. After a while, Ben came to them and said there was a doctor available if they wanted a checkup. 

“Will they pull our teeth again?” Mal asked that right off. Ben looked confused. 

“Maybe, but they’ll probably just fill them first. Didn’t they do that when the medical ship came?” 

They all shook their heads. Jay said “Look, I got two gaps in my face.” He pulled the sides of his mouth apart with his fingers. “They didn’t even mention filling them.” 

“Yeah, what is that even?” Ben looked at Mal with dismay. 

“I mean-I told my dad to give the Isle kids the same medical care that we got. You didn’t?” 

Mal stared at Ben for a minute. Carlos saw the exact second she went from furious to laughing it off. She smiled and shook her head. “Oh Ben. You’re so trusting.” Ben looked like he could crawl under a rock. 

“If it makes you feel better, it really wasn’t that bad,” Carlos said. “Okay, the doctor didn’t listen to a word that I said and it was over in ten minutes, but at least I got protein bars. And the dentist who pulled my tooth was okay.”

“And the milkshakes were good,” Jay said. Ben had his mouth dropped open.

“That was my idea. The milkshakes. I thought it would be easy on your mouths.” Ben stared at them in shock. “I’m glad you enjoyed them, at least.”

“I didn’t,” Evie said. “I was still locked in my mother’s castle. And by the time I got out, the ship had stopped coming.” Mal turned to stare at her, and Carlos could tell she was trying to apologize by telepathy. 

Carlos watched as Ben seemed to have a silent emotional breakdown in front of them. “When did they stop coming? My dad told me...he said he’d keep it quiet but he’d still do it...” 

The four of them just stared at Ben. 

Ben walked out of the room then, too dignified to cry in front of them. Mal sighed and followed him. Carlos could hear her trying to talk Ben down. _You did do good. We were vaccinated. No children died of the flu that year. We got treatment for parasites. We got healthier, I promise you._

Carlos looked around at Jay and Evie. Evie was doodling on her sketchbook that she used for design ideas. Jay just looked like he wanted to get out of there. Carlos reached over and touched his hand. That at least got Jay to look at him. 

 

“Hey, at least he tried.” Jay nodded. “He’s our friend. He means well.” Carlos knew the saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. But at least it was ‘let’s give kids healthcare’ and not ‘let’s put all the villains somewhere we can’t see them and forget all about it.”

Jay looked better, and Evie smiled a little. “Hey,” Carlos said to Jay. “Did you actually get to keep your bags? I didn’t, not much.”

“I did, except the food.” Jay said. “My dad actually encouraged me to take the medicine. You know, had to be stronger than the other kids. I wound up shitting out a bunch of worms, so it was worth it.” Evie made a disgusted face, and Carlos laughed. 

Mal and Ben came back then. Ben looked like he’d aged five years. “I just want to say I’m sorry-” That was as far as he got before Mal cut him off.

“He means this time will be better,” she said. “And he knows that we know he tried. And he did help.” They all nodded. Carlos actually wasn’t surprised to find out that it was Ben’s idea. And also that his dad managed to fuck it up. 

“Yeah, I was just telling Carlos about that worm medication. But I don’t think Evie wants any more details.” Ben actually laughed at that. “Look, Ben. You’re our friend. And it’s nice to learn that you’ve been concerned about the VK’s for a long time. So don’t worry about it. Nothing’s perfect.” 

“Okay. Thanks. I hope this will be better, I thought about getting my royal doctor for this, but I decided to use the office that does checkups for all Auradon students.” 

“That’s great,” Mal said. “Okay, when is it?” That got Ben to perk up, and he excitedly told them the date and times. 

A week later, Carlos found himself in a very nice, professional looking doctor’s office. He sat and read an old copy of Wired until his name was called. He was weighed again, and was relieved to find out he was only a little bit underweight. 

Then he was told to strip and wear a gown. He waited in the too-cold room for the doctor to arrive. When he did, Carlos found himself looking at a fairly young man who was staring at his chart, and not him. “Carlos,” he said, and then looked up, giving him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling pretty-” He didn’t get to finish. 

“Well, I don’t have much to work with today, since you don’t have any records. The damned Isle medics didn’t keep any. So I guess I’ll just ask you...” 

Carlos tuned out, only answering the questions in a monotone. He didn’t even get upset when asked about his mental health. He wasn’t there. When the doctor left, Carlos just put his clothes on and waited for the nurse to take him for blood drawing. 

When he left, he found Jay waiting outside for him. Carlos was surprised-Jay’s appointment was over an hour ago. “Come on, walk with you back to school,” he said. Carlos got in step with him, and Jay nudged him. “Well, how many invasive questions did you get about your sexual history?” 

“I-” Carlos laughed. “I really don’t know. He interrupted me and I just answered everything on autopilot.” 

“Yeah, especially the questions about if I was a sociopath like my dad. That was fun.” Carlos nodded. He did remember the questions about bipolar disorder, and he was trying like hell not to. Jay sighed. “Well, I guess being a doctor doesn’t mean you can’t be an asshole.” 

“I’m staring to think that it’s a requirement.” Carlos looked at Jay. “Is it because we’re from the Isle?”

“Probably. That doctor would listen to Chad, I think. Hell, he’s probably related to him.”

“What, a royal being a mere doctor? I doubt it.” Carlos shoved his hands in his pockets. “Let’s go get some milkshakes ourselves. We can bring them back to our room.” 

“I think that’s a great idea.” Jay clapped Carlos on the shoulder, and Carlos smiled, ducking his head.


End file.
